A Journalist's Point of View

This report about one annual meeting of the Morsecodians' Fraternity was written by Peta Peters, Telecom Australia's NSW Media Officer. It was published in the Telecom News. The date of publication is unknown but the distances given in kilometres indicate that it was written no earlier than 1984, when Australia adopted the metric system of weights and measures.

Ancient posters, lovingly preserved, decorate the walls and there is a feeling of camaraderie as the men – one hundred and ten in all – talk and laugh at some fondly remembered joke.

The Professor, the Slippery Eel and the Duck exchange pleasantries while Spider, Two Bob and the Snake are ribbed by their mates.

These characters and many more are gathered tonight to celebrate the seventh reunion of the New South Wales Morsecodians' Fraternity.

Over the general hubbub is heard the distinctive clackety-clack of the morse key.

This is an annual meeting with a difference.

The entire meeting is addressed in Morse and, to the casual spectator, the applause and laughter that peppers the Morse signals seem bewildering.

Yet all the men present are experts in the field. Former telegraphists who have long since retired from the Knighthood of the Key, or whose lifestyle and careers have changed direction.

Jim Porter is here tonight. He will be 86 next January and his memories go back to 1909 when he first joined the PMG (Postmaster General's Department).

Originally from the Snowy River, Jim's first job was as a telegraph messenger. Next he was promoted to clearing mail boxes in North Sydney. This was done with a horse and cart, and although the PMG paid an allowance for forage, Jim had to supply his own horse and equipment.

In 1915 he successfully applied for a telegraphist's position.

In those days the equivalent of a Higher School Certificate was needed and it was considered a prestigious job.

In reality, however, it could sometimes be a tedious occupation involving long hours, cramped muscles and loneliness.

Jim was posted to various country Post Offices on relief staff until he enlisted in the Light Horse Signal Corps during World War I. He served from 1916 to 1919.

Returning to the PMG he was promoted to telegraph officer at the GPO in Sydney and his last position was as Traffic Officer at the GPO.

Another Morsecodian who remembers the isolation often encountered is Jack Baker who was to become known as The Count, for his regal bearing and mode of speech.

At sixteen Jack was located in Central Australia in a Post office thirty kilometres from the nearest railway and 260 kilometres from his nearest neighbour. All he had for company was his horse, and the day the horse bolted was the day he demanded to be sent home.

Bill Douglas is another member of the Fraternity. He began his career in 1916 and his memories include working for every newspaper in Sydney as a telegraphist. He clearly remembers Sir Frank Packer coming to the newspaper office as a schoolboy in short pants, and recollects Eric Baume, the legendary radio and television figure, working as a night sub-editor on one of the papers. Other memories include receiving telelgrams from New Guinea that had been written on a variety of items ranging from coconuts to toilet rolls.

Telegraphists belong to a fraternity of their own and their history is steeped in folklore. They were masters of an extraordinary form of communication which has long passed into history.

These days the clack of the keys has been replaced by the clatter of the teleprinter. Only the memories remain.